1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to liquid compositions used as antiseptics by health care professionals or others to prevent transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms via the hands or skin from the professional to the patient and vice versa. More particularly, the present invention describes a novel formulation for a rapid-acting skin antiseptic that provides exceptional antimicrobial efficacy, cosmetic satisfaction, and economy of use-time because it eliminates the handwashing and toweling associated with the use of antiseptic soaps and scrubs.
2. Prior Art
The patents and specific scientific articles cited above plus a multitude of other references in the world literature describe numerous antimicrobial substances and various disinfectant compositions that have been recommended for use in the health care environment. The "other publications" referred to above describe the relative merits of various germicidal substances such as quaternary ammonium compounds, alcohols, ketones, chlorhexidines, iodophors, hexachloraphenes, propriolactines, and glycols. Published research on these substances has established the general ranges of concentrations of each substance that exerts the maximal germicidal activity relative to the class of microorganisms being challenged.
Five of the above referenced patentees incorporated a cationic detergent germicide, preferentially alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride or variants thereof, in their disinfectant compositions along with non-anionic or amphoteric detergent stabilizers, alcohols, or scents to develop novel surface-disinfectant cleaners (Lancz, #3,965,026; Dobrin, #4,464,293), a surgical skin scrub concentrate (Conn, #3,932,655), or laundry detergents (Katsumi et al, #3,553,141; Paszek et al., (#4,576,729). In devising another antibacterial skin scrub, the sixth patentee (Bellany et al., #3,855,140 and 3,960,745) ruled out adding a cationic detergent germicide to this composition because of chemical antagonism between the detergent and their composition's major germicidal component, chlorhexidine.
The present invention differs from prior art in that my composition is comprised of compatible germicides of high volatility, which assure rapid germicidal action, and a germicide of relatively low volatility to assure residual antimicrobial activity/plus an emollient to protect the skin against dryness. The product is a skin antiseptic with the following general characteristics: (a) effective germicidal action in 30 seconds or less, (b) a high degree of germicidal activity against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, (c) non-staining, (d) non-irritating to the skin after repeated use, (d) residual antimicrobial activity after repeated use.